Monday was very exciting for Hockey fans throughout the United States. The Philadelphia Fliers hosted the New York Rangers in what is debatably one of the NHL’s most brutal rivalries. The NHL’s annual Winter Classic, this year, was held at Philly’s Citizens Bank Park.

Holowicki

Earlier this year, Brendan Shanahan, veteran forward from Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings and later the New York Rangers, was appointed the position Director of Player Safety. Shanahan has become the disciplinarian of the National Hockey League and has suspended many players this year for illegal blows to the head, including Raffi Torres and Jody Shelley.

 

Hockey has become very physical over the last decade. The players are bigger, faster and tougher. Injuries are more intense than they were. Listening to four HBO documentaries this past week gives the listener a different perspective.

On TV, you don’t hear Ranger’s coach John Tortarella drop one F bomb after the other in the locker room nor do you hear the Fliers bench taunt New York’s goalie Henrik Lundquist or the team captain Ryan Callahan about being insignificant or jeers of “Go back to the entry draft.”

Jeers can be lighthearted or not. These teams play physical. It’s not personal though. This is business. Darren McCarty said that years ago when he was playing for the Red Wings.

I think back to my little league baseball coach who used to make me run laps after games when I didn’t make big plays or hits. That’s at least the way it felt at the time. I was smaller than most kids my size and couldn’t hit nor field the ball as good as other kids my age. This was frustrating. Do I look back and respect my coach for making me run laps? No, absolutely not. I resented it then and I resent it now. He should have been working with me one on one to improve my game. He would not. Why is that important to the NHL Winter Classic?

Discipline, albeit not a good way to discipline a player unless you’re going to initiate some sort of positive reinforcement. These are elite players and many NHL players play in the Olympics nowadays. The best of the best. Six or seven years ago, these two teams were nowhere near contenders for a Stanley cup victory. Today is different. Philadelphia has forward James Van Riemsdyk and Chris Pronger. The Rangers have Marion Gaborik and Ryan Callahan.

Remember two years ago when the Chicago Blackhawks won in a surprise victory in an overtime win with Patrick Kane shooting the game winning goal in OT? The Fliers stood there in shock. The Fliers were, at the time, struggling to make the post season. After three post season rounds, clinched the Eastern conference. By the way, Chicago’s Marián Hossa is the first player in NHL history to appear in three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams, having previously made the Final with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 and again with the Detroit Red Wings in 2009.

Recap of the game:
Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who signed a nine-year, $51 million contract this past year, didn’t have much of a game and the was sent to the bench. Sergei Bobrovsky filled in when coach Peter Laviolette called him up but couldn’t hold an early lead front of tens of thousands of Fliers fans.

The game without Jaromir Jagr, the Fliers forward who played only a minute in the second period before leaving the game with an injury. The 39-year-old Jagr, a former Ranger, said after the game he injured his left leg and expected to return soon.

Brad Richards who was one of the summer’s top free agents (behind Rookie Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent Hopkins) is in his first season with New York. Richards scored the game winner knocking in a rebound making it 3-2 Rangers for his 14th of the season.
Its great to see the former underdog teams like these on top again!

Steve Holowicki